Norway
Norway is a vast and scenic country most famous for the phenonomen ‘Aurora Borealis’ or ‘Northern Lights.’ However unfortunately the country is a very expensive place. Expect to pay through the nose for the most basic of items especially food and drinks. Not for those with a light pocket.
- Location: Northern Europe
- Capital: Oslo
- Climate: Cold at best.
- Currency: Norwegian Krone (Nkr)
- Language: Bokmal and Nynorsk
- Related Link: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/europe/norway
April 17, 2007 @ 9:34 am
tony reed said,
you obviously know nothing about Norway…
April 17, 2007 @ 9:35 am
tony reed said,
total bull****
June 20, 2007 @ 10:07 pm
carl said,
I think it’s a joke tony
June 21, 2007 @ 5:07 pm
Johnny Wellsmere said,
Very nice country, except for the prices. If you don’t have a lot of money,
best to keep moving. Can’t afford to eat or drink. OK if you are a multimillionaire.
July 17, 2007 @ 11:34 am
Dermot said,
Norway is spectacular
July 26, 2007 @ 4:54 am
turki said,
very nice country but do not go thier in winter!!!!
August 22, 2007 @ 3:02 pm
Bernard Hunt said,
See Norway, then die. Starve to death probably. Most expensive country in the world for travelers. If sidewalk stands didn’t offer those $US7 hot dogs we wouldn’t have made it. Hot dogs for breakfast, for lunch, and for dinner. A car for a week — well, sort of a motorized roller skate — cost $US660. And then they swindled me out of another 70 bucks because I didn’t have enough coins to feed one of their incessant toll plaza thingies. Oslo is a lovely city, the countryside and the fiords are spectacular and the people were charming in a rustic, Nordic, way. Bergen and its area were breathtaking. Was Norway worth it? My heart says yes. My wallet says no.
September 19, 2007 @ 9:03 am
tony reed said,
take a look… just see what Norway has got to offer….. There is more to life that 11 pints of lager (or bitter) a night…
February 3, 2008 @ 7:42 pm
cow said,
Norway is just too wealthy. You don’t really see Africans traveling to USA on holiday either. Just cause Norway is too expensive for the average american it shouldn’t be considered a poor destination
P.S. ooooo pretty light!!
April 27, 2008 @ 5:13 am
Ken Reynolds said,
The good stuff in Norway is free. They are not crooks, they don’t charge you to see a fjord! Stop at the small places for take away food. This food can be reasonably priced, you don’t have to eat at a fancy restaurant. Stay at youth hostels, they are comfortable, clean, and full of friendly people, and there is no age limit.
April 27, 2008 @ 12:26 pm
Kim Sikes said,
Norway is beautiful! I was there in 1980, as a result of being deployed to Denmark for a month. I few of us took the the Ferry boat and stayed in a Hostel there. The people were just fabulously nice, polite, proper and charming. It was like the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tales that I read as a child… Yes, it IS a little spendy, but how can one put a price on ‘experience’… I just went for the adventure, and it was well worth it. I imagine the ‘pricey-ness’ would keep the rif-raff out, that’s good thing.
April 27, 2008 @ 4:41 pm
ken said,
Here’s another thing. A US Dollar used to buy 14 Norwegain Kroner, now it buys about 5. That makes things about three times as expensive for Americans as it used to be, without taking inflation into account. Is that their fault?
August 14, 2008 @ 12:25 am
Mia W said,
Rent a simple cabin with 4 beds in the mountains or countryside (from 300 crowns/night), cook your own food - they usually have a very simple “kitchen”. Use public transportation and your legs. And remember: All the best things in Norway are free, the mountains, the fjords, the sea, the clean air and all the wonderful wiews . If you want an urban holiday, go somewhere else!
August 14, 2008 @ 2:38 am
Limpiaparabrisas said,
Worst thing is the horrible food, except for the foreign restaurants in Oslo. The kitchen staff have little idea, particularly in West Norway. No fresh fish (apart from Bergen), and even in Aalesund, once the home of a giant fishing fleet, the last fresh fish shop closed in 2007. The fiords teem with cod and ling but you can’t buy fresh fish anywhere. Nor fresh bread. Only Stranda in county Møre and Romsdal has a bakery-cafe - here again, with unwelcoming personell, usually sour elderly women.
How do I know all this? Have holidayed in my summer cottage in the fiords the past 30 years …
August 14, 2008 @ 12:50 pm
Wilhelmsen said,
If you are rich like a Norwegian ( Norway is the richest contry in the world per person) it’s not a problem. But if you want cheap food ( like U.S.) Norway is not the contry.
:D
August 14, 2008 @ 12:53 pm
wilhelmsen said,
one more thing DO NOT TRY TO EAT TRADITIONAL NORWEGIAN FOOD (food from before the time of the oil rigs in the northern sea) it tase terible. I know this because im Norwegian.
August 16, 2008 @ 12:01 pm
Norwegian said,
I live in Norway, and yes it is expensive.
About the myth about cold weather is wrong. Its normally around 30 degrees Celsius (about 90 degrees Fahrenheit (I think)) in the summer, but some places it gets at below -30 degrees Celsius in the winter…
August 19, 2008 @ 12:09 am
Torben said,
The cold weather is not a myth. I LIVE in Norway and it is almost never as hot as 30 degrees C. It is also huge differences in temperature between north and south and mountains and lowlands. In summer when weather is nice the temperature may reach 25-30 degrees at best, when the weather is bad (and that is very often) it may be as low as 5-10 degrees in the north and around 15 in the south.
September 4, 2008 @ 5:34 am
Maren said,
It depends on where in Norway you live… It is very cold in the winter in north, but not so cold in the south.
September 16, 2008 @ 11:49 pm
Annie said,
Well, well…… Some people are never satisfied, no matter if they got everything for free!!!
I am a norwegian myself, but I have lived in the US the last years. When it comes to prices, it is more expencive in Norway…However, the prices in the US the last years has gone up a LOT! Food is almost as expencive over here now as it is in Norway. Some food are actually more expencive!!! IF you go out to eat over here, it is cheaper, but that has also gotten more expencive. Clothes, electronics and other items are almost the same price here as in Norway, wether you believe it or not! When it comes to the weather….yes on an average, it is warmer here. But…..where I live, the winters are MUCH colder and with a freezing wind I have never experienced in my life, and I grew up in northern Norway!! Summer is nice….when it isnt humid…..and believe me, almost all summer is very very humid..so you sit inside with your AC on, and what good is that. Then you have the extreme weather with hurricane, thundestorms, icestorms, powerouts, etc etc. That is just the way it is, Norway can have bad weather, but the US can have some pretty nasty weather as well!!
I love Norway, and I also love the US, 2 different countries with good and bad just as every other country in this world!!
November 27, 2008 @ 4:08 pm
Joey said,
I was just wondering, as I was thinking of becoming a nanny in Norway….is 4500 NOK enough to live on? I will not be paying rent or for food…Just travelling (and i would like to travel as much as possible. but i have friends in amsterdam and ireland.) and clothes and entertainment.
January 1, 2009 @ 8:59 am
Answer to Joey said,
No i wont bee enough, if you want too drink beer. It also depends on what you have too pay in rent. But if the rent is included, you might make it, but you wont have a lot too spend.
But if you are a nanny in Norway for 4500 NOK that is werey low payed. So if i were you i would have asekd for an alowens, or more pocketmoney from the family.
If the rent is included in the job i would say that you make it fine in Norway for 8000 NOK a mounth. Then you also can drink some beer.
Ps. If you are American or from the Euro zone, the Krone has weekend itself ALOT against Dollar an Euro. So the prices has droped for you people now about 20 - 30 % the last 3 mounths. So just this artikkel doesnt count anymore!!! COME WISIT US!!!!
January 1, 2009 @ 6:43 pm
Morten said,
You don’t have to pay tips in Norway
An American will proabably think that the portion of food in restaurants in Norway are small. On the other hand, the portions you get in restaurants in the US is ridiculously large and not healthy for you in the long run…
Norway don’t have those silly 0.25 cl soda bottles you get other places in Europe. It’s Minimum 0.35 in Norway.
Perfume, CD’s, DVD’s, electronics, clothing is for the most part the same price. Perfume is actually a bit cheaper in Norway.
If you for some reason need to buy food / drink other groceries ( not restaurant meal ) go to one of the supermarkets ( Rema 1000, Rimi, Prix, Kiwi,Mega, Meny, Ica ) don’t go to 7/11, Narvesen or gaz stations ( Typical 24/7 shops are expensive in Norway. Basically twice as expensive as a normal supermarket. ) As long as the supermarkets are open, use them. It’s only fools that buy groceries from the typical 24/7 outlets. Supermarkets are generally open weekdays from 10:00 - 22:00.
January 1, 2009 @ 6:51 pm
Morten said,
That Norway is so expensive is total bull, by the way.
Have you guys ever been to Paris for instance ? Or Moscow ? Or Tahiti ?
January 8, 2009 @ 4:14 am
Dan said,
It depends how u see things. It isn’t so much more expensive in Norway, than the rest of the european countries. And have u ever been at Iceland ? Then we talk expensive.
Hotelcosts…..about the same prices there as it is in the other countries.
And the nature in Norway……yes, its worth it. U will never forget the fjords, the mountains, the midnight sun, even the weather u will remember.
January 18, 2009 @ 2:21 am
Rafal said,
I live in Norway and it is not such cold us may You think. Of course if cold for You is 70F… then I recommend You not move from equador
In my definition Norway is not cold it has average climate (which means perfect for me). More You can find here: http://zoom-in-norway.blogspot.com/2009/01/myth-nr-1-in-norway-is-cold.html
July 6, 2009 @ 2:37 am
KMJ said,
We just had over a WEEK with 35 degrees C (95 degrees F) ! And we had a real bommy winter… Fine, It changes a lot but thats just the way it is! And yeah it’s expensive and that sucks, but if you make your money here, you can afford it…
July 9, 2009 @ 7:29 am
will said,
this whole website is utter shit i’ve been to 3 of the destinations on this website including Norway, Paris and Indonesia only a couple of weeks ago. I had fantastic holidays at all three destinations. Norway is a beautiful country and well worth visiting.
July 11, 2009 @ 7:34 pm
Hampus said,
Why would you go there? Norway is pretty cold and expensive and whatever you might name nice there, you can find it at better prices somwhere else… ok, ok, cities (Bergen, not Oslo) and Fijords… well I found the ones in sweden and finland just as good… somehow better. Midnight summer, mountains and forests…see above at cheaper prizes. Food is average-low and you don’t want to try the traditional norwegian, believe me. People are polite (not waiters, often sour and unwelcoming that’s another story) but they look down on turists so forget getting into their grace. Well, if you go for the adventure than ok… but are you sure there’s nothing just as adventurous for less?
July 11, 2009 @ 8:27 pm
Gary said,
Do yourselves a favour and skip the eurozone. Go to South East Asia and or Australia, it’s cheap, beaches are the best in the world, way of life is vibrant and the weather is much nicer than those dark, damp and depressing long european winters. Also, the food in most asian countries actually has a taste to it. One piece of advice, avoid Jakarta (filthy dirty hell hole) and Kuala Lumpur (incredibly dull and boring) Manila (certain areas are very dangerous) and Sydney (over priced and over rated). Bon voyage.
July 21, 2009 @ 6:54 am
Justin said,
Norway has beautiful nature and interesting history. But every single time I have been to Oslo it rains. At the risk of being lynched by Norwegians, I say if you want a mini break to a Scandinavian City go to Stockholm, which is so pretty and fairytale like, especially at Christmas, and unattractive people are banned from ever appearing in public.
October 28, 2009 @ 5:55 am
Joe Di Maggio said,
Simple question– How much does it cost to buy a steak in the supermarket in Norway? A soda? bread? spagetti? chicken? Kentucky Fried chicken? Microwave food? This is what I’m interested to know and would give an idea on how expensive it is vis-a-vis other European countries and the U.S.
November 27, 2009 @ 9:14 am
Jack spicer said,
norway is a brillant place faggots
January 4, 2010 @ 4:27 am
Norman Bates said,
Norway is a beautiful country and I had a wonderful holiday, but I did notice that Norwegien women’s vagina’s smelled strongly of fish. I would guess that the Norwegien diet (seafood) has something to do with it. When I flew back home from Oslo I discussed this matter with a fellow passenger on the plane. He agreed that fishy vaginal odor is a persistent problem among females in that country and he recommended I avoid oral sex with them in future.
February 10, 2010 @ 9:54 am
Disty said,
this place roxs and everyone will love it I did it for a french winter presentation and we had so much fun doing it.
February 24, 2010 @ 2:40 pm
Osc said,
One thing America has that Europe doesnt is cheap food, transportation, electronics and clothing. Norway is a nice country, If you want to live an american lifestyle in Norway it will cost you big money. Since most American tourists fail to realize that they are in a continent where driving is a privilege that costs much more money than the amazing public transport systems. Americans see this as an expensive country, since stuff costs more than it does back home. Fuel prices are the highest in the world, maybe McDonalds is the cheapest restaurant in Norway, if cooking is not an option sorry there are no tv dinners in Europe. So a word to the wise tourist, have an extraordinary vacation, avoid the major cities and attractions. See the nature, then go rent a place, go to the local grocery store and pretend to be a citizen of that country. Hey maybe you could settle down buy a house in northern scandinavia for the same price as your hotel stay in OSLO or Stockholm.
March 4, 2010 @ 1:31 pm
Henrik said,
No, Houses in Norway is never cheap, not even for the inhabitants!! The USA has really cheap houses
In fact the last 10-years the houseprices has nearly doubled!
April 29, 2010 @ 11:42 am
Robert said,
Norway is one of the most expensive and worst countries to live in. Average income for an engineer is 230000 NOK /year after taxes (36% income tax, 28 % VAT). Rent is about 10.000 NOK/month for a small one bedroom apartment in Oslo. Food Costs 7000Nok /month. As an engineer, having worked there for three years I could save almost nothing. The people are shy, distant, and don’t like to answer if you don’t speak perfect norwegian. Not a friendly bunch at all. If you are not family, you basically don’t exist for them. I wish I hadn’t wasted my life there. As a travel destination, spend the same money in a sunny country, that has the same kind of beauty, with nice people to hang our with.
May 9, 2010 @ 3:32 pm
You heard it here said,
I live in Norway but I am from the UK. Apart from the scenic views there is literally not much else to write home about. I guess it is nice for a trip but to live there is another thing. Not the most frustratingly annoying thing about Norway is the high prices for commodities but the lack of choice. Elsewhere you you have THE OPTION to buy cheap things and sacrifice on quality; you can spend a bit more and get value for money;or you can go the whole hog and buy top of the range quality products and pay more. In Norway you are FORCED to pay stupid amounts of money for a product that is ridiculously overpriced and you are not getting the best quality. This my friends is because Norway promotes Norwegian brands and want the money kept within the Norwegian economy. Hotels completely lack any kind of grandeur in comparison to the rest of Europe. But this is mainly because Norwegians a) do not value conveniency and b)are so insecure and socialist they are defensive and scared of money and “look down” on wealth and people with money.
What is even more scary is the lengths that Norwegians and Norwegian media go to prevent the rest of the world knowing how backward their little country is. Its is the most miserable and isolated place I have ever lived in, a far cry from how Norway is portrayed to the rest of the world.
May 18, 2010 @ 6:23 am
Jah Kass said,
Norway is pretty cool, which is more than I can say about this website.
There are people on here complaining that French scenery is disappointing and that Norway has nothing unique to offer!
WHAT!?!? Seriously! You are all freakin’ retarded if you believe that for a second. The gorgeous French Riviera, and the awe inspiring Norwegian FJords and Northern Lights, if you’re not moved by these then you have no human emotion and should just spend your life in a Walmart in Hicksville USA. At least then you won’t complain about prices because even your mediocre salaries will be sufficient there.
Pathetic the lot of you.
May 30, 2010 @ 10:08 am
Enrico said,
I have lived in both countries for many years, and i have to say that i missed America. Norway is a beautiful country, but they are losing their traditional Norwegian culture to the foreigners that are taking over the country. The prices in Norway are ridiculous, and that is due to the socialized government that taxes all the inhabitants and tourists. I have had several businesses in Norway, and I decided that it wasnt worth the hard efforts that i put into the company, because i felt when i had employees i was punished by the government with even more taxes. Norway does have charm to it, and i like visiting it but i couldnt live there again.
Ill give you some examples of prices, 1 gallon of gas, is around $11, a large bigmac menu is 75NOK which is $13, a 2007 BMW M5 which i had costs $65000 in USA and $ 250,000 in Norway. A decent steakhouse dinner with wine is about $120 per person.
My advice if you are planning to visit Norway is dont go to restaurants, and try and find cheap supermarkets like rema 1000 or kiwi and make your own food. If you can use public transportation it will be cheaper but not so much fun. and BRING YOUR UMBRELLA because it rains Big time!!
June 15, 2010 @ 8:13 am
Adrian said,
Hey! Why do you all talk about huge taxes and expensive restaurants ?
. They don’t spend holidays in Norway, they can afford to go anywhere they want.
I am not Norwegian but i work and live in Norway with my family. Has anyone of you any knowledge about where all the taxes go ? Have anyone of you been in a Norwegian hospital ? Have anyone of you meet a Norwegian doctor or a sales person in a supermarket ? Have anyone of you noticed that all Norwegian speak at least English ? ( This says a lot about the education system ) Has any US citizen free social and medical assistance even if he/she does not have a job ( my family gets free social and medical insurance just because i’m paying taxes to Norway) ?
From my point of view all the taxes and high prices are normal for that life style.
And one more thing, but not the last, for a Norwegian, any other country in the world is cheap
June 15, 2010 @ 11:07 pm
Joe said,
Planning to visit Norway this summer!! We got divided opinions here - expensive living conditions and beautiful place - seems normal for tourism!! However can anyone from Norway guide me for a cheap apartments across Norway? Tromso, Stryn, Bergen and Oslo? Going with family 2+1+1!!!
July 3, 2010 @ 8:13 am
Porree said,
Norway is scenically amazing.The price of ffod and drink is ridiculously high.
However I had so much free love with amazing norwegian gals that the other expenses
were worth it
July 4, 2010 @ 4:47 pm
SamR said,
It’s the EXCHANGE RATE that kills the tourists. Very, very costly place to take a holiday vacation.
At 6.4 NKr/USD and 9.6 NKR/GPB (June 2010), the drinks average $15-25 each, food starts at $15+, even chinese or Thai restaurants have entrees starting at $25+. Forget wine at dinner, the cheapest is $60+.
Needless to say, we were shocked; Oslo made Stockholm and Tokyo look cheap. And btw, we live in London.
Basically the Norwegians sell their oil and build reserves of other countries’ currencies (when they ‘buy’ the oil) and thus command extremely favourable exchange rates. It’s brutal on anyone’s wallet. Overpaying 2x-4x what a similar object or service costs in Europe, Asia, LatAm, or the U.S.
If you want camping, glaciers, fjords, 20 hours of daylight, boat rides, seafood etc. at normal values go to Alaska or Sweden. You’ll easily save 100’s of dollars or pounds, especially at the former.
July 4, 2010 @ 4:52 pm
TJ said,
BTW, the a large driver of Norway’s “wealthiest” country in the world per capita is (a) very limited immigration and thus steady population count, and (b) exchange rates that are very strong versus sterling or the dollar.
Purchasing price parity does not exist there. I frankly do not understand why every Norwegian does not take massive NYC shopping trips like twice a year - clothes, electronics, cars, jewellry, etc. They would fall down laughing ond they convert their kroner to USD and buy a dinners at Jean Georges for 1/3 what a pizza would cost in Oslo!
July 7, 2010 @ 10:08 pm
jojo said,
This in response to TJ’s commet:
Well said TJ. I’ve been there and liked it, but its very expensive. I may have to immigrate there because of my fiance in Oslo. I’m doing the planning and just live off of groceries and save to go to NYC, Paris, & Berlin to shop for “good stuff”.